The XDefiant server stress test announced by Ubisoft earlier this month will take place this weekend.

This weekend event is considerably longer than the 12-hour playtest Ubisoft announced on April 1: after all, while 12 hours may be enough for developers to get what they need, it is unlikely to accomplish much in terms of public awareness. Whatever the reason, players seem to want to know what has happened since 2023, the last time we looked.

There may also be an element of morbid curiosity: XDefiant has not gotten off to a good start since it was announced in 2021 to fairly widespread ridicule. There have been postponements and prolonged silences, but through it all, the hope has remained that XDefiant, when it finally arrives, could be really good. Many players liked what they saw in previous test sessions, with former Call of Duty creative strategist Robert Bowling describing it as "legit" and "Call of Duty polished."

Mark Rubin, the original producer of "Modern Warfare" and "MW2," is also a fan, although to be fair he is the executive producer of XDefiant, so he may be a bit biased.

This weekend session should go a long way in shedding light on XDefiant's future. While this stress test is first and foremost about "melting the servers," as Rubin puts it, it will inevitably be a showcase of gameplay and the first opportunity for a large audience to see what Ubisoft has been working on for the past year. A release date should also be announced fairly soon: when the stress test was announced, Ubisoft said that once the test is completed, "we will be able to finalize a release date and begin sharing more about the exciting content XDefiant will offer in the future."

The XDefiant server stress test is available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Preloading of the console versions has now begun, but the PC version appears to be delayed and will be available from the Ubisoft store once it begins.